Vacationers: Beware the phony Wi-Fi hotspot

We're thigh-deep into summer now, and that means many of you will be traveling extensively over the coming months as vacations kick into high gear.

That also means you'll likely be connecting your PC to a convenient Wi-Fi hotspot as you keep tabs on the friends and family you left behind.

But can you trust that hotspot? How do you know it's on the up and up?

Fox News is running a critical summer reminder that at airports, hotels, and other vacation destinations, Wi-Fi networks are not always what they seem. Hackers now regularly set up phony Wi-Fi hotspots (called "evil twin" networks) designed to lure clueless users into giving over credit card and other private information, thinking they're on a secure network.

It's an easy enough attack to pull off. Set up a router in a quiet, out of the way place. Give it an official sounding name ("LAX Public WiFi"), and leave it unencrypted. Chances are, anyone nearby who sees the network at the top of their access list -- especially if it has a strong signal -- will attempt to connect to it first. Once you do, it's pretty much game over, and you've lost. The hacker will often throw up a fake login page, asking for a credit card number for inexpensive access, or just leave the connection wide open. Either way, everything you do while connected to the access point is recorded and logged, including any typed user names and passwords. And remember, a connection goes two ways: While you're connected to the evil twin router, the hacker will also have access to any shared files on your computer, which he can browse and copy at will.

Remember: As important as security is when you're at home, it's doubly so when you're on the road and in unfamiliar surroundings. Make sure data is backed up and security software and patches are up to date before you embark on any trip. Pay special attention to any Wi-Fi access points to which you connect; if anything looks the least bit suspicious (typos on login sites are a huge giveaway) or your browser doesn't display the lock symbol in the bottom right corner (indicating the connection is encrypted) while you're on the login page, disconnect immediately.

Also be careful of what kind of information you type in when you're accessing the web via a public access point, especially an unsecured one. Any data transmitted over these connections can be intercepted, so keep the banking and investing for when you're at home or the office, where you can be more certain of the network's security.